


Surrender

by figbash



Series: OshiGaku [2]
Category: Tennis no Oujisama | Prince of Tennis
Genre: Disapproving Family, Explicit Sexual Content, Flirting, Jealousy, M/M, Sexual Tension
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2004-06-05
Updated: 2004-06-05
Packaged: 2018-02-04 02:23:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,777
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1762831
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/figbash/pseuds/figbash
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Some more turbulence for my favorite Hyoutei pair, and some smut too.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Surrender

There was something about the fairer sex that Oshitari Yuushi would always love. They were just pleasant to have around, and Yuushi always seemed to find them near him. At a very young age he'd discovered his talent for the art of flirt, the sort of magnetism he naturally possessed. One might even venture to say he was a flirting tensai, but perhaps one was taking too much poetic license. Perhaps it would be more accurate to say that flirting was like breathing, to Yuushi.

His eyes flitted discreetly from one pair of legs to another, surveyed the pleasing curves wrapped tightly in satin or draped gracefully in chiffon. If eyes caught his wandering gaze, which on rare occasion they did, Yuushi smiled at them in apology, and his smile was always returned. That was bad, because he would never learn his lesson that way. Girls wanted Yuushi to look at them, and Yuushi wanted to look at girls, so it was a vicious cycle -although it wasn't particularly vicious- that continued endlessly.

Mukahi Gakuto took it upon himself to curb this naturally-occuring behavior. But not because he was jealous. And certainly not because he felt threatened. It was simply a matter of proper decorum. The only problem was how to shame someone who was completely shameless.

Gakuto watched the person in question make his way across the crowd, a champagne flute in either hand. His progress was much impeded by the various girls who snagged his arm, the oyaji doctor-types to whom he was obligated to make a short respectful I've-got-my-hands-full bow. But mostly it was the girls. They hung out in little cliques, chatting and people-watching. As Yuushi passed, each little cluster would descend upon him like a pack of wolves, like they could just eat him alive. And then out came the camera phones. Gakuto crossed his arms. He hated warm champagne.

"Omattousan," said Yuushi apologetically, sidling up to him at last.

"It's about fucking time," snapped Gakuto, snatching the offering.

Yuushi clinked his glass to Gakuto's. "Drink. You'll feel better." They each downed their alcohol in one long swallow.

One of the caterers passed them and Gakuto took two more from the tray. He glanced at the boy, who looked about 19, then gave him a grin as their eyes locked. It was a shame to pass up good dick. Gakuto imagined he would say something like, "What time are you getting off?" and the boy would answer, "Around 10." Then Gakuto would smile devilishly and say, "No, I meant with _me._ " And later they'd fuck in the wine cellar or something. _Those were the days..._ Gakuto thought fondly, at last turning away from the caterer. Formal occasions like this one were only good for that kind of thing.

It was the 25th anniversary of Yuushi's parents, and a grand affair indeed. Apparently Yuushi had like a million relatives in Osaka, and every last one had flown up to Tokyo for the big party. It was a good-looking bunch, Gakuto had to admit. Yuushi had alot of good genes in the bloodline. As a bit of charity, Gakuto had agreed to attend the dinner party and keep Yuushi sane as his father presented him to colleague after colleague, and as nosy relatives assaulted him with all manner of personal questions.

They'd managed to find a spot that was the furthest possible distance from Yuushi's father for the time being. Gakuto saw him past the stairs, through the glass doors of the expansive entertainment room. Yuushi's father was still a handsome man, with steel-gray hair that was close cropped and parted to the side in a style that was both fashionable and sensible. He wore a black tuxedo that looked immaculate on him, and was adorned by diamond cufflinks and his wife. Yuushi's mother clung to the arm of Yuushi's father and nodded along with the conversation, keeping quiet most of the time but putting in a comment here and there. Her white tea-length dress was the perfect feminine compliment to her husband's attire, and she wore diamonds on her ears, wrist and neck that echoed the sparkle on his cuffs.   

Gakuto was glad he'd decided to wear an actual suit rather than his school uniform. He didn't want to feel poor around people like them. Yuushi's father turned his head and caught his eye, and Gakuto could have sworn he was staring right at him for a full 15 seconds before he was pulled back into whatever conversation he was having.   

"What's your dad's prob-" began Gakuto, before he realized Yuushi wasn't by his side.   

Yuushi was amazed at how distracted Gakuto could get. Gakuto hadn't even noticed when he'd drifted away to find more champagne. Yuushi was determined to keep a steady flow through the evening. He was feeling the beginnings of a nice warm buzz at the moment.    

He scanned the crowd, looking for his sister. She was more comfortable with this type of bullshit than he was. She had her fiance too, and so the aunties could congratulate them on their engagement rather than asking her about when she'd be getting married. After the marriage they'd start asking about kids, so it was only a temporary respite. His sister's fiance came from even more money than their own family did, a fact which might have had some bearing on Oshitari-sensei's enthusiastic approval of the arrangement.   

Yuushi sipped at a fresh champagne flute, holding one for Gakuto, looking for his missing companion who was suddenly not where Yuushi thought he was. Oh well, they'd find each other eventually. Hopefully before the aunties found him.   

"Oh, I'm not drinking anything, thanks."   

Yuushi turned in the direction of the voice, which was most certainly not Gakuto's. Someone very cute was standing just behind him. She smiled when Yuushi caught her eye. Yuushi smiled too. "Hello," he said.   

"Hi... You're Oshitari-sensei's son, aren't you?" asked the girl timidly.   

"Hmm... do you see a resemblance?" Yuushi tilted his head.   

The girl peered up at him. A slender gloved hand came up and turned his face a little. Yuushi liked that. "You have the same eyes, I think..." The girl blushed, taking her hand away and looking down at her shoes. "I'm sorry, that was rude."   

"Not at all. You have gentle hands," said Yuushi warmly, charmed. "Boys like being touched by pretty girls." He liked her femininity; the soft, shy voice, the way her body moved, the light fresh scent of her perfume. She was unsure of herself, so she was more modest than the girls who had approached him earlier.

Yuushi loved women, but he was certainly able to appreciate the allure of someone closer to his own age as well. It was a fun challenge pursuing this type of girl on occasion. They were like little lambs. You didn't want to frighten them away by being too aggressive, so you had to be careful with what you said. But if you played your cards right they'd let you do anything you wanted, later on. And that was a lovely prize indeed. Maybe he could play around until he found Gakuto.    

"That's very flattering, Oshitari-san."    

"Please," he smiled again. "Yuushi."   

"...Yuushi-san." The girl looked up into Yuushi's eyes and lost her train of thought.   

"And your name?" Yuushi prompted after a moment, amused.   

"Oh, ah... Sachiko. Pleased to meet you."    

"And I'm very pleased to meet you, Sachiko-san. Won't you have a drink with me?" Yuushi held up Gakuto's glass. Gakuto would understand. No he wouldn't.   

Sachiko eyed the champagne doubtfully, chin down, unconsciously leading Yuushi's eyes to her lovely décolletage. "I-I don't think I should..."   

"You're right, it would be bad wouldn't it? I admire your strong moral conviction," he teased.   

"No, it's not that..."   

"Have you had alcohol before?"   

"Well, maybe once or twice... but it makes my head spin."   

"It tends to break down inhibitions." Yuushi measured a small pause, then he said, "Some people even believe it has an aphrodisiac-like effect..."   

The girl giggled self-consciously. "Oh, that's such a lie. You shouldn't talk like that!"   

"If it's a lie then surely it's alright to have a little, on this special occasion. I'm sure my father would insist upon it."   

Sachiko looked at the glass, and Yuushi offered it to her again. Her fingers closed around the stem, and she sipped the contents hesitantly.   

"It's delicious, isn't it?"   

The girl smiled sweetly. "It is."   

They clinked glasses. "Kanpai."   

After she'd finished half, Sachiko's cheeks were noticeably pink. Her smile was easier and her eye contact was a bit bolder. "Yuushi-san..." she began, looking around like she was about to impart something top-secret. She motioned for him to lean down, which Yuushi did. "...I think you were right..." she whispered in his ear.   

"Oh? Nanya..." chuckled Yuushi, pleased smile spreading across his lips. "I haven't the slightest idea..."   

Sachiko pouted. "Don't pretend like you don't know."   

"You wouldn't be referring to..." Yuushi feigned contemplation. "...something ecchi...?"   

A white gloved hand flew up to his mouth. "Dooon't! You're so bad!!" Yuushi kissed the fingers over his mouth and she snatched them away as though she'd been burned.   

"It's your fault, saying all those things..."   

"You know, they say that words are poison darts of pleasure."   

"That sounds terrible!"   

Yuushi tapped a finger to his cheek, looking thoughtful. His eyes wandered away then returned to her. "Oh, I assure you it's not. I could tell you my own personal interpretation..." Yuushi's voice went a note lower. "I'm sure you'd find it to your liking..."   

"Yuushi, there you are!" came the jovial voice of Yuushi's father. He and Yuushi's mother were in the company of a man who looked about the same age.    

Sachiko looked up at the man. "Papa! Oshitari-sensei." She gave them a slightly wobbly bow, but Yuushi couldn't tell if her father noticed.   

"I see you've met my son, Sachiko-chan."   

"Oh! Y-yes..."   

"Please don't let him fool you," said Yuushi's father. He eyed his son significantly. "He's going to be a great doctor some day."   

Yuushi sighed. "Otousan..."   

"Don't you two make a lovely pair!" remarked his father, ignoring him. "Wouldn't you agree, Dear?"   

"Certainly!" chirped Yuushi's mother, a permanent fixture on the arm of her husband. "But you're making the poor girl blush. Ah~ you're so cute, Sachiko-chan!"   

Sachiko's father beamed. "Just like her mother, haha!"   

Somewhat drunk, and quite embarrassed, Sachiko looked nervously at the floor.   

"One can never have too many doctors in the family." Yuushi's father nodded at Sachiko's father. "Na, Morimoto!"   

"True, true, Oshitari!"   

" _Papa..._ " chastened Sachiko, although she smiled, glancing shyly at Yuushi.   

Gakuto had observed the whole sordid affair from afar. So typical. Yuushi had girls falling over themselves for him, but he had to go for that one shy little good girl. Like he had something to prove. It was so stupid, it wasn't even worth getting mad about. A lesser man might have worried, might have felt the tiniest bit less sexy, but definitely not Gakuto. He let Yuushi play like the dog he was.   

He wondered briefly if Yuushi's family did omiai. Was that how Yuushi's dad had met Yuushi's mom? Surely it was too early to start thinking about that... about Yuushi's dad wanting him to marry the right girl from the right family... Nevertheless Gakuto stared daggers at the back of Yuushi's head. Miraculously, Yuushi turned and spotted him.   

"Ah, would you excuse me..." said Yuushi in a distracted voice, turning towards an angry-looking Gakuto. He realized he was in trouble, which was bad enough, but he was all out of champagne as well.   

"Manners, Yuushi," reminded his father grimly, displeased. He'd be receiving a disciplinary lecture sometime in the near future, Yuushi was sure of it.    

"It was lovely chatting with you, Sachiko-san. However I must excuse myself to tend to a pressing matter..." Yuushi said, bowing gracefully. Sachiko couldn't keep her eyes off of him. She was blushing fiercely, but she managed a goodbye nod.     

Yuushi strolled over to Gakuto, hands in the pockets of his trousers, looking dapper, resplendent, mouth-watering... there were many adjectives that passed through Gakuto's mind as he stared down the approaching boy. He had to remind himself what it was that wasn't worth getting mad about, but it came to him soon enough. He found that he was a little annoyed, after all.   

"You just looove to make them fall for you, don't you?" sneered Gakuto.   

It was a delicate situation when Gakuto was in a mood like this one. With a girl, it was a matter of the right kind of pretty words... something that made it seem how sorry you were and how you didn't deserve her forgiveness and blah, blah, blah. With a girl, Yuushi knew what he was doing. But Gakuto was harder to figure out. You couldn't smother him in sweet-talk. Or maybe it was that Yuushi wouldn't play a cheap trick on him like that.    

Yuushi was feeling just the slightest bit guilty, and it was quite unpleasant. Did Gakuto think he might lose him, through a little innocent flirtation? Such shaky faith. Besides, hadn't Gakuto wandered off as well?   

"Where did you go?" Yuushi asked him, pointedly avoiding Gakuto's accusatory paranoia. Which was partially justified. But only partially. And surely Gakuto knew him better than that.   

"Where did _you_ go?"    

"...Champagne." Yuushi looked for a tray. He could use some right now.   

"Here." Gakuto shoved a glass in his face. "It's warm. Fuck you."   

"Mm... Maybe later," said Yuushi automatically, sipping what was in fact somewhat cold champagne. Fucking Gakuto did sound nice. His mind got distracted with the idea, and he was suddenly not terribly bothered by his guilt. Maybe they could sneak up to his room...   

"She's still looking at you," commented Gakuto, giving Sachiko the evil eye.   

"Is she?" Yuushi turned to look. It was exactly the wrong thing to do.   

"Yappari," said Gakuto darkly, turning his evil eye on Yuushi. "...You're not allowed to fuck her."   

Yuushi frowned. "You know I wouldn't."   

Gakuto looked away. "Because I'd find out."    

"No, because I wouldn't want to." Yuushi watched Gakuto's profile. He could tell Gakuto wasn't just being snippy, there was genuine anger in there too. It surprised him a little.   

"Huh. I wonder sometimes."   

"Gakuto..." said Yuushi in a disappointed voice, shaking his head. "I was just playing around. Why are you suddenly so-"   

"Ah! Excuse me..." A group of girls had approached them and Gakuto rolled his eyes, expecting the usual deluge of "Yuushi-kun! Yuushi-kun!" squealings and camera phones. But then Yuushi elbowed him and Gakuto realized that he himself was the focus of their cluster. He looked around at them and they giggled, skirts rustling as they moved in.     

"Ano...my friends and I were wondering... We saw you across the room... Could you be..." The girl paused, but her friends behind her excitedly egged her on. " _Ask him! Ask him!_ " they whispered.    

Gakuto grinned, anticipating her words, looking to Yuushi. Well, at least he could play a good game of doubles with him. Yuushi was good for that much. Their combined skills had earned them quite a bit of notoriety.

"Are you... Marui Bunta from Rikkaidai...?" the girl finished. One of her friends squealed.   

Gakuto's face went murderous, and Yuushi cut in hastily. "Nono... this is my doubles partner Mukahi Gakuto."   

"Ohh... You're Yuushi-kun's partner..." the girl said with significantly less enthusiasm.   

"That's right," Gakuto declared, eyes narrowed. "And if any of you bitc-"   

Yuushi quickly ushered Gakuto away. "Excuse us ladies, I think we're needed over by the champagne table..."   

The champagne flutes were arranged like soldiers on the white table cloth. Yuushi briefly considered the bottles of liquor at the other end of the table before plucking a champagne for Gakuto. He eyed Yuushi sullenly, and Yuushi gave him a sympathetic look.   

"Have one. Have five."   

"Huh. You'd like that. Me lying unconscious while you have an orgy with the camera phone girls."   

Yuushi couldn't help but chuckle. "If I do, you're welcome to have an orgy with all the caterer boys who've been eyeing you like a piece of meat since you set foot in the house."   

The mention of that calmed Gakuto a little. He smiled slightly over the rim of his glass before gulping the rest of his champagne. "Yes well, some things can't be helped."    

"Which is what I'm saying."   

Gakuto raised an eyebrow. "That you can't help yourself."   

Yuushi actually felt a sincere hint of panic as he answered quickly, "No, that's not-"   

"Yuu-chan, Yuu-chan! Let's have a look at you!"   

The aunties had found him.   

"Just look at how handsome you are in your suit! Such a ladykiller..." glowed his eldest aunt, laden in heavy perfume and even heavier makeup.   

"You're too kind. But I-"   

"Who's the lucky girl this week, Yuu-chan?" She turned to her companions. "This one's with a different girl everytime I see him, haha!"   

"Well, that's not exa-"   

"You'd better keep them straight, Yuu-chan. A girl doesn't like it when you call her by another girl's name."   

"I would never _dream_ of-"   

"Although she's alot quicker to forgive him when he's got a face like this!" She pinched Yuushi's cheek suddenly, then appealed to Gakuto. "Did you see the way they all turn their heads?" But she didn't wait for an answer, because it didn't matter what Gakuto said. She laughed with a demure little "Ohohoho..."   

"A-ah Yuriko-obachan you're-" Yuushi winced in pain, delicately trying to extract himself. His aunt released him just as abruptly, and Yuushi touched the spot gingerly. It had been years since he'd gotten one of those.   

"I remember when I was your age, I got into all _sorts_ of trouble with bishonen. It drove my mother crazy!"   

"Natsukashii ne..." the aunties chorused.   

"I hear you've got your eye on little Morimoto Sachiko, you devil!"   

Yuushi's eyes darted to Gakuto, then back to his aunt. "Oh, we were just chat-"   

"You know, your father and Morimoto-sensei have known each other since grade school. Who'd have known nerdy little Morimoto would have such a stunning daughter!"   

"Now Yuu-chan, promise us you're not going to steal _everyone's_ heart tonight."   

"He can't help it, he's a girl-magnet!"   

They paused finally, as though they were actually waiting for an answer. For Yuushi's solemn vow to keep his irresistibility in check, for the sake of the female guests. Yuushi smiled politely, biting his tongue. "...I promise."

Gakuto glared at Yuushi as they made their way past the guests assembling at the dinner tables laid out in the expanded dining room, spilling out through the open fusuma to the backyard. He wasn't sure he could eat anything. All that gushing over Yuushi had made him kind of nauseous.

"Oh Yuu-chan, you're so flawless and sexy... would you let me give you a handjob?" Gakuto mocked under his breath. "Really, I can just kneel down right here and suck your cock, how about that? Hmm?"       

" _Gakuto,_ those are my aunts you're talking about..." Yuushi had a queasy look on his face. Good, so they were both nauseous now.   

"Well they're fucking obnoxious," Gakuto snapped. Privately, he wondered how many dinner tables would fit in his own house. Probably not nearly as many, he thought. Not that he was jealous of Yuushi's snazzy house, but for some reason it made him more annoyed.   

"I'm sorry. I was hoping if we kept moving around we'd avoid them, but they found us."   

"You owe me." And it wasn't like Yuushi's house was the best one he'd ever seen before. Atobe's was much cooler. Atobe had a pool. He was thinking about this way too much.    

"Yes, I do." A smile began at the corners of Yuushi's mouth as he eyed Gakuto, but he knew better than to get too ahead of himself again.   

Gakuto huffed, granting Yuushi a smile. He reached for his chair next to Yuushi's, but someone was holding it.   

"Yuu-chaaan..." purred Yuushi's aunt.    

"Oh, I believe your seat is over there, Yuriko-obachan. Please allow me to seat you." Yuushi stood, smiling as he bit his tongue again. _Please allow me to keep you from fucking up things with Gakuto again..._    

"Do you see how gentlemanly he is, Sachiko-chan?" Yuriko turned to her companion, hiding shyly behind her. "Actually Yuu-chan, I was thinking it would be such a bore if little Sachiko-chan had to sit with her father and listen to him reminisce with your father all night long. And then I noticed there wasn't a single girl on your arm, which should be a crime if you ask me. Soo..." She pulled out Gakuto's chair.   

"Ojama-shimasu..." said Sachiko in a near-whisper, sitting down gracefully. Dutifully, Yuushi pushed in her chair, then sat down himself. It was going to be a long night.   

"Have fun, you two," winked Yuushi's aunt, elbowing him before she trotted off.   

Noisily, Gakuto yanked out the chair on the other side of Yuushi, dropping into it without ceremony. He propped his head on one arm, staring hard at Yuushi while his fingers drummed the tabletop. "Big time."   

Perhaps it was a stroke of luck for the both of them that there were bottles of white wine for each table. Yuushi's sister had always gotten along with Gakuto, and so they chatted drunkenly together, and said silly things and laughed about them. Her fiance joined in a bit, but like Yuushi he held his alcohol better than they did.    

"He's quite lively, isn't he?" spoke Sachiko softly.   

"He likes to make a good show," said Yuushi, not without fondness.   

"Is he a classmate of yours?"   

"Yes, we play doubles on the tennis team."   

"You must be close."   

"Mm." Yuushi smiled, eyes distant for a moment. "We are."   

"I'm sorry... to impose..." Sachiko wrung her napkin. "Your aunt..."   

"It's no bother. You're very pleasant company," Yuushi said. He turned his gaze on her and watched her melt.    

"O-oh, you're too kind..." Sachiko answered in a rush of breath, wringing her napkin more vigorously. "Your company as well... It's pleasant, I mean..."   

Then Yuushi felt a hand on his knee, and he actually jumped in his seat, giving Sachiko a look of surprise.    

"Is there anything wrong, Yuushi?" asked Gakuto innocently, cocking his head quizzically. The hand on his knee squeezed a little.    

"Are you alright, Yuushi-san?" Sachiko leaned in, worried.   

"Fine. I'm fine," sighed Yuushi , regaining his composure. He gave Gakuto a look, but Gakuto had gone back to his lively conversation with his sister. The hand remained on his knee.   

"Do you have to do a speech tonight?" asked Sachiko.  

"No... fortunately my father is terribly fond of the sound of his own voice."   

Sachiko laughed. "Oh, he can't be that bad!"   

"If only it weren't so."   

"Well... after this... if you're not too busy.... I was wondering if you might like to..."   

But Yuushi didn't catch the rest of what she said, because Gakuto leaned in and informed him in a very low voice, "You are aware that if I catch you alone tonight... I'm totally gonna jump your bones."   

"...always nice to have a refreshing walk after..." he heard Sachiko say.   

And then Gakuto was saying something like, "...press me up against a wall..."   Beneath the table, Yuushi felt a foot creep up his leg.    

"...know anyone else here, and you've been so nice. I really..." continued Sachiko.   

"...until you can't take anymore and you come all over my..." continued Gakuto.   

In one of Yuushi's ears, there was an angel whose voice was like a bell and whose flawless porcelain skin smelled like flowers. In the other ear was a devil, whose voice was deeper, and whose skin wasn't quite as flawless and porcelain, but his breath was sweet with wine and Yuushi liked the things he said. There was never really any question of where his affections lay, anyway.  Yuushi wondered if Gakuto knew that.    

Now wasn't the time to discuss it. The caterers whisked in quietly with a French dinner, a favorite of Yuushi's parents. Yuushi personally preferred something like Sagoshi kizushi, but French did go well with the wine. Gakuto's foot fiddled with Yuushi's under the table, but he otherwise behaved himself, and even engaged Sachiko in conversation. After dinner they could sneak upstairs and disappear beneath his sheets for the better part of the night. But first there was dessert, and a speech from his father, who rang his knife against a wine glass as he stood at the head table. At least he wasn't singing enka this time. Thank god he wasn't singing enka.   

"I thank you all for honoring us with your presence on this special day. My wife and I are elated to celebrate the occasion of our 25th anniversary with our friends and loved ones..." began Yuushi's father in grand style. As head doctor he was accustomed to speaking in public, as well as impressing an audience with his oratory skills. He got as far as "Marriage is the most sacred of bonds between two people..." before Yuushi's eyes glazed over and he went into that sort of trance which looked so much like respectful and attentive listening. Gakuto's hand was resting casually on his thigh, a fact which no one seemed to notice whilst enraptured in his father's speech.   

Everyone was in tears when Yuushi tuned back in. Of course. His father really knew how to work a crowd. Even his sister was bawling, but Yuushi suspected it was because she was drunk.   

"Shouldn't you be sobbing too, Mr. Sensitive?" whispered Gakuto.   

"...I wasn't paying attention."   

"Your father speaks so well, Yuushi-san!" Sachiko told him passionately, turning in her chair as they applauded.    

Yuushi's father held up his hand, and the audience quieted down again. "And now that this old man has finished being sentimental, he'd like to offer a toast." He raised his glass and the others followed suit. "To 25 more years of happiness with my lovely wife... To the beginning of 25 years of happiness for my beautiful daughter and her fiance... And to 25 _future_ years of happiness for my beloved son..."   

It was then that Yuushi's aunt helpfully called out, "Take it easy on her, Yuu-chan!" And then everyone erupted into laughter, and Yuushi's cheeks went red, and surely _that_ was the wine as well.   

"Kanpaiii~!"   Hesitantly he looked over at Gakuto, but Gakuto was staring at the plate which the caterer had just placed in front of Yuushi. Gateau Pithiviers.   

"Let me have your dessert," he said, fixated. His nostrils flared as he breathed in the heavenly scent of sugared puff pastry and almond cream.    

Yuushi decided to be difficult. "He just gave you yours."   

"I want yours too." Gakuto brandished his fork. "You owe me, remember?"   

 _Ah yes, there's that,_ thought Yuushi, in a momentary flash of guilt. He pushed the plate towards him. "...If it sobers you up."   

Gakuto stuck his fork in, taking a healthy bite. "I know what'll sober me up. Heh-heh-heh."   

Yuushi smiled despite himself. "You sound like a lecher."   

"I'm a Lechery Otaku," Gakuto announced, which set him off laughing. Yuushi's sister joined in too, although she hadn't heard the joke.   

Yuushi's eyes met Sachiko's, and they both shook their heads in amusement. She was a nice girl, with a sense of humor. Yuushi liked her. And he knew that Sachiko liked him, too. 

So maybe it was true that he did miss his old ways sometimes. It was much simpler to play around with some pretty thing without having to think too hard about it. Sachiko would have let him, he could see it in her eyes. Maybe not _everything-_ she was a good girl, and her father was here, after all- but he could've gotten away with alot.    

She'd be cute and reluctant at first, but it would take only a few sweet words or perhaps a little white lie to draw her away from the party, up to his room. He'd invite her to sit down on his bed, and she'd try to hide that virginal nervousness as she watched him sit down next to her. Not too close but not too far. As they talked he would ease in, and there would be that moment where the conversation suddenly stopped and their eyes would lock, and then she'd open for him like a flower in blossom. Ah yes, Yuushi's favorite part was that first moment of surrender.    

Shyly she'd let him kiss her, and pretend she didn't notice the hand sliding slowly up her leg. There was nothing like the slender shapely muscle of a girl's legs. They'd feel so good under his hands that he couldn't help but inch his fingers under her dress. Her thighs would tense, and it would be like an unspoken negotiation, seeing how far he could go. Deliberately he'd push a little too far, let his fingers graze the hidden heat deep under the folds of her dress, just to hear that scandalized gasp. A sound like that from a girl in his bed held promise. He'd move in closer and closer, then as she lay back in his pillows, he'd lean over her...   

And then for some reason he imagined Gakuto standing in his doorway, giving him a look that froze him. Was it the lack of anger in his face? He was so still and so quiet, and it was Gakuto's face but it wasn't _Gakuto._ The unnaturalness of it frightened Yuushi.   

"Yuushi-san..." Sachiko was saying, beneath him. He couldn't answer her. There was something mournful in Gakuto's eyes that transfixed him, and terrified him.   

"Yuushi-san!" repeated Sachiko, touching his elbow lightly. "You were staring at your glass for the longest time!"   

"Ah... my apologies..." Yuushi turned to Gakuto, and the look on Gakuto's face was too similar to the one in his daydream. It made Yuushi's heart skip a beat.   

"I think..." began Gakuto.   

Yuushi's mind supplied the possibilities. "I think you've been daydreaming about seducing some girl even though I'm sitting right here next to you" or maybe, "I think you're a skirt-chasing loser and I deserve much better."    

"...I think I ate too much..." Gakuto almost fell into his lap. "Yuuushi~" he managed feebly.   

"Oh my, maybe you should take him to the bathroom, Yuushi-san..." offered Sachiko with concern.   

"I'm sorry." Yuushi gave her an apologetic smile.   

Sachiko waved him away. "Oh, don't worry about it. I hope Mukahi-san feels better..."   

Gakuto groaned in response.   

"Well then, excuse us..."  Yuushi half-carried, half-dragged Gakuto away.   

"Oh no! Is Bunta-kun sick?!?" he heard from a table as they passed. Gakuto groaned again.   

They were halfway down the hallway to the bathroom when Gakuto threw his arms around Yuushi's neck, suddenly chipper again. "If I was your aunt, I'd _totally_ do you."   

"Hmm..."   

"Oh Yuu-chan, I know it's wrong... but I just can't hold back any longer... I'm hot for your underage body!"   

Yuushi shushed him. "Someone's going to hear you... And besides, I'm above the age of consent."   

"So am I," responded Gakuto, cocking his head to the side.   

"I see that you're not sick anymore."   

"Nope," Gakuto grinned, proud of his performance. "I thought I'd do you a favor and get you out of there."   

"Oh? Is that all..." Yuushi murmured, fingering the lapel of Gakuto's jacket.   

Gakuto leaned forward, looking up into Yuushi's eyes in the darkness. "Well, I did say earlier that-"   

"Yuushi, there you are."   

Yuushi straightened at the sound of his father's voice. It made Gakuto think of Pavlov's dogs. He smirked, leaning casually against the wall, waiting to see what would happen next. It was a long, dark hallway, so he doubted that Yuushi's father had seen anything. But it would be interesting to see Oshitari-sensei with his feathers ruffled, just once.    

"I need to speak to you in my study," summoned Yuushi's father from the end of the hall.   

Yuushi's face fell. "I'll be there in a minute," he responded in monotone. He watched his father's shadow recede as he left.   

"...Are you in trouble?"   

"Probably. He wants me to schmooze more with the oyaji."   

"You know," Gakuto's face went nostalgic for a moment. "before I met you, I almost had an affair with this one oyaji. He used to give me chocolate and take pictures of me. He was _married,_ too."   

"...Really?"   

"He wasn't hot or anything, but I must've been in 5th or 6th grade. I didn't know any better."   

Yuushi looked at him suspiciously. "I don't believe you."   

Gakuto just smiled. "Time to go see Papa. Don't take too long or you're gonna find me with one of those caterers..."   

"I won't. I promise," Yuushi said, taking his face in his hand and pressing an open mouth to Gakuto's. His tongue snaked inside, tasting almond cream with a tinge of alcohol before he withdrew.   

"A little something to remember you by?" asked Gakuto, breathless.    

"Just wanted to refresh your memory." _And mine,_ Yuushi thought.    

Gakuto watched him leave, pursing his lips, contenting himself with the taste of Yuushi's mouth. The boy was a damn good kisser.   

Upstairs, Yuushi stared at his father's desk, expressionless.   

"Yuushi," began his father, in his most serious of voices. "You're almost a young man now, and I feel I must be forthright about my concerns."   

 _Off to a bad start._ Yuushi's face was fixed in a blank stare, but he suddenly began to feel too warm. He was anticipating Gakuto's name to be the next thing out of his father's mouth.   

"I found your conduct with Sachiko-chan earlier this evening quite alarming."   

"But we were just talking... Yuriko-obachan-"   

"Yesyesyes, I know about that," his father cut in impatiently. He hated being interrupted like that, and Yuushi knew better. "I'm speaking of your abrupt end to the conversation you were having with her, in front of Morimoto-sensei. You know that he is a very close personal friend and should not be treated with any hint of disrespect. That was not the way you were taught to conduct yourself, and I can't help but wonder if the seed of this aberrant behavior was planted by the company with whom you choose to socialize nowadays."   

His father paused for Yuushi to take that in, to realize who he was referring to, then continued. "When you asked for permission to invite a guest, I suppose it was wrong of me to assume you would bring someone _appropriate,_ like Keigo-kun."   

 _"Appropriate,"_   thought Yuushi. _Since when has Atobe ever been "appropriate" ?_    

"For some reason you seem to believe that it's too early for you to start making the sorts of social connections that can further you, and this family, in life. Did you ever stop to think why you're attending Hyoutei in the first place? You can play tennis anywhere, Yuushi."   

"I want the best for you, and you should want the same. Your classmates are the future leaders of this country, and many of them come from families of influence. You simply cannot drift through life without any thought to that. What do you have to say for yourself?"   

At his sides, Yuushi's hands squeezed into fists. "Please forgive me, Otousan."   

His father sighed. "I want to keep being proud of you, Yuushi."   

"Yes, Otousan."   

"It puzzles me that you would treat Sachiko-chan with such disregard. You're usually so... _attentive_... to girls. Not only that, but there's obviously an attraction between the two of you... and to be quite frank, she's excellent marriage material."   

Yuushi raised his eyes finally, looking at his father in surprise. _"Otousan...?! "_     

"Those girls you're always playing around with can't hold a candle to her. Surely you know that. There's enjoying one's youth and then there's wasting opportunities. I suggest you keep yourself in good standing with a girl like that." His father rose, smoothing his tuxedo and taking a breath before he opened the door. "Please be sure to bid Morimoto-sensei and his daughter farewell. They'll be leaving soon," he said before closing the door.   

His father's intention, Yuushi supposed, was for him to meditate upon the words of this lecture before rejoining the party. Yuushi went to the window and parted the drapes, watching the stars in the dark, clear sky. There had always been a fundamental disagreement between his father and himself about the way they viewed life. Yuushi knew the gap would only widen as he grew older. But Yuushi also knew it wasn't in his nature to give in, that he was too stubborn to be the son his father wanted him to be. After all, the students of Hyoutei were leaders, not followers.     

A slice of light appeared on the curtain, and Yuushi turned. A bright red head of hair emerged from the door. His devil had come to rescue him.   

"Mi~chatta," said Gakuto, grinning intensely as he leaned back against the door to shut it. His eyes didn't leave Yuushi's as his hand reached behind him to turn the lock.   

The study was a dark foreboding place of foreignness. Yuushi's entire house had a decidedly European feel to it -the interior design, the unusual spaciousness- but there were always unmistakable Japanese elements integrated into it. Except for this room. The dark mahogany was the antithesis of the blond Japanese wood which made up the rest of the house, absorbing rather than reflecting the dim light from the brass lamp which stood by the desk. There were small oil paintings on the walls, and shelf upon shelf of big heavy leather-bound books with long, important-looking English words on their spines. Gakuto supposed it was something like a private fortress, for Yuushi's father. It was the only room of the Oshitari household in which he had never set foot, so Gakuto had entered the room with particular glee that evening.   

"I decided to come fetch you."   

"Thanks," Yuushi said sincerely. He smiled with affection. "You came just in time."   

"Oh?" remarked Gakuto casually.   

"Mm."   

"Your dad's been watching me all night."   

"He doesn't like you."   

"I'm crushed."   

"I'm sorry I had to break it to you."   

"I just thought he had a thing for me, and was hiding it with low-key hostility."   

"If that were so, then he's fallen in love with a few of my other friends as well."   

"Heh. So were you guys talking about me behind my back?"   

"We touched upon the subject of you. He seems to think you're a bad influence."   

"Which I am."   

"And I spend far too much time with you."   

"Which you do."   

"If only he knew how I spent that time..."   

"He'd be delighted."   

"Naturally."   

"So surely Papa wouldn't mind if you fucked me on top of his desk?" Gakuto perched himself on the smooth expanse of mahogany, leaning back on his arms as he swung his legs innocently. Then he leaned backwards, reaching out to touch the buttery black leather of the chair behind him. Gakuto sat down in it.   

"Now _this_ is a power chair," he said with admiration, swiveling around and around. "How much did this thing cost??"   

Yuushi smiled slightly. "Quite a bit."   

"Hmm...." Gakuto came to a stop, caressing the leather, gazing up at Yuushi. "When you become a big bad-ass doctor, you can sit here while your secretary gives you blowjobs."   

"Are you suggesting that you want to be my secretary?" responded Yuushi.   

"Come here."   

Yuushi looked at him doubtfully, although he came a bit closer. "...We should be downstairs." He leaned on the edge of the desk.   

Gakuto's hand grabbed Yuushi's belt buckle, pulling him closer still. "Yeah, we should be." He unbuttoned the suit jacket, his fingers pulling the Italian cotton shirt loose from Yuushi's trousers. Gakuto undid the bottom button, then the next, opening the shirt just enough to give Yuushi's stomach an open-mouthed kiss. He felt the muscles jump to life.   

Gakuto stood. "Are we going downstairs..." he asked calmly, sliding the tailored jacket from Yuushi's shoulders and placing it gently on a side table. Leaning against him, Gakuto fiddled demurely with a gold cufflink. A smile grew on his lips as he brushed against the beginning of an erection. "Or are you sitting in the chair?"   

Yuushi paused for a moment, and his turmoil delighted Gakuto, because they both knew they weren't going downstairs. Yuushi's trousers were neatly folded on the side table because they were Italian too, and Gakuto obliged him because he did like the way Yuushi looked in them. Gakuto swallowed the mint he'd been sucking on with a grin, kneeling in front of the enormous chair. He looked up at Yuushi.    

There were some people that had an almost shameful discomfort with their bodies, and that had always annoyed Gakuto, because wasn't nudity your most natural state? He liked how Yuushi sat waiting before him, long beautiful body ensconced in black leather, gorgeous cock nearly against Yuushi's stomach, needing attention. Gakuto loved to look at him. He leaned down to adore him with his mouth.   

Yuushi held his breath for a moment, as Gakuto's tongue traced his cock, a tiny teasing flick at the head before he left a wet lingering kiss. Gakuto blew over the skin, and Yuushi closed his eyes. Then Gakuto moved lower, to Yuushi's balls, drawing them softly into his mouth, sucking them gently. It was heaven. Gakuto's body had many parts which Yuushi loved, but Gakuto's mouth was his favorite. He said basically anything he liked with it, throwing casual insults and lascivious invitations in the same breath. There was always a sort of verbal sparring between them that kept Yuushi amused. And when Gakuto's clever mouth was intent on  pleasure, it never disappointed.    

Gakuto rolled his tongue and Yuushi turned his face away, biting his bottom lip as he breathed in suddenly. The house was full of people and Yuushi was trying to keep himself quiet, but Gakuto was never one for discretion. He let Yuushi's balls slip from his mouth and with the very tip of his tongue he traced the sensitive line of skin right down the middle while his hand moved on the shaft of Yuushi's cock. Gakuto continued in that way until Yuushi made a stifled sound, losing his battle for silence. Gakuto removed his mouth, turning to give the inside of Yuushi's thigh a sharp playful nip. He'd given the exact reaction Gakuto had wanted, Yuushi realized.    

Gakuto was terribly pleased. With the barest touch of his lips he nibbled at the ridge on the underside of Yuushi's cock before engulfing him in wet heat. Gakuto loved the feel of Yuushi's cock in his mouth, the motion of taking it in, the unique Yuushi-taste and Yuushi-smell, the act of swallowing Yuushi's come. Gakuto's favorite sound was the catch in Yuushi's throat as he teased him closer and closer to the edge.   

At last Yuushi grabbed him, pulling him into his lap, which also pleased Gakuto. Yuushi was a romantic, but Gakuto liked it when he could drive him into a frenzy, when Yuushi's muscles went hard and powerful and made Gakuto do what Yuushi wanted. As he straddled Yuushi's lap, Gakuto's jacket slid off easily, tossed hastily on top of the pile. Yuushi's fingers yanked at the tie impatiently, plucking open the buttons of Gakuto's shirt. His mouth moved over Gakuto's skin like he wanted to devour him, finding a nipple and biting him hard. Gakuto whined a little in pleasure, gripping the armrests.

Yuushi's mouth didn't leave him when he pulled the shirt away from each arm, moving over the skin that was revealed there too, biting the ticklish spots under Gakuto's biceps so that he squirmed in the chair. Then Yuushi was picking him up, placing him on the edge of the desk, and kneeling to undo the belt. Gakuto shifted for Yuushi to pull the rest of his clothes away, and then it was Yuushi's mouth on Gakuto's cock.   

Gakuto sighed deeply, leaning back on his arms, one leg drawn up on the desk while the other hung down. Yuushi was a very good learner. He'd been new to this in the beginning, but now it was as though he'd always done it. Yuushi's mouth moved leisurely, one long kiss along the length of him, lips lingering in every spot. Without his glasses, Yuushi's face had a quiet tenderness, eyes shut as he drew warm motes of pleasure at the head of Gakuto's cock before letting it slide into his mouth. The sigh that came from Gakuto was a little shaky this time. With one hand he pushed back Yuushi's hair, looking down into his face with half-lidded eyes. Yuushi was beautiful, and Yuushi sucking cock was beautiful, and as Gakuto watched him kneeling in front of him in such wonderful submission all he could think was, _You're all mine and no one else's._    

"Ahn..." His fingers twisted in Yuushi's hair a moment, and his breathing went harsh. Yuushi's tongue urged him on with a few clever movements, then Gakuto's entire body relaxed.         

That peculiar taste was in Yuushi's mouth again, the taste of Gakuto and hot come down his throat as he swallowed. Gakuto's hand cupped his cheek, appreciative. Yuushi felt him shift, then legs wrapped around his back in an odd sort of embrace. He leaned into the hand at his cheek, taking in the uncharacteristic softness of Gakuto's face. Yuushi enjoyed drawing him out and seeing this side of him. It was comforting to know that even Gakuto could be a touch romantic too, a tiny bit sentimental. His hands pressed at the small of Gakuto's back, bringing that luscious flat stomach to his mouth, hard kisses and little half-bites over the exquisite texture of well-maintained muscle. Yuushi loved feeling Gakuto's responsive body move under his mouth and his hands. He listened to Gakuto's breathing and the little sounds of pleasure that made the nape of his neck tingle.    

Yuushi stood, taking Gakuto's hands and pushing him down over the desk. Were they actually going to fuck on top of his father's desk? He looked down at Gakuto, who was quite willingly lying across the desk on his back, arms over his head, giving him a silent but sly fuck-me-now smile. Yes, they were actually going to do this. Right on top of the very same place where his father frowned over papers all evening long, a glass of scotch on the marble coaster that was by Gakuto's hip. Much less interesting than a naked Gakuto, Yuushi decided. He pushed his thighs apart.   

"It's in my left trouser pocket," said Gakuto simply, staring up at him.   

Yuushi looked at him in disbelief. "You brought lube to my parents' anniversary party?"   

Gakuto sat up, leaning back on his arms again. "Yeah. Your point being...?" He swung his legs a little, then hopped off the desk.     

"I think I've fallen irretrievably in love," Yuushi told him, an odd twinge in his chest, because he wasn't used to saying such a thing and actually meaning it.    

"I tend to have that affect on people," sighed Gakuto dramatically, leaning temptingly over the desk, ass in the air. He looked over his shoulder. "Karada de oshiero."   

With a finger Yuushi traced the line of Gakuto's back, the ripples of muscle and shapes of bone until he came to the heat of Gakuto's ass. It made Yuushi's heart beat faster to imagine pushing in, being enveloped and coaxed into the heights of pleasure by him. He touched the perineum, stroking it gently with his index finger as he felt Gakuto tense in arousal. Smoothing lube between his fingers, Yuushi slid them in one by one, taking his time as he always liked to do. He enjoyed prolonging these moments of foreplay, working him open until Gakuto was a slave to his every movement, but tonight Yuushi was the impatient one. Gakuto had teased him too much. As his fingers moved Yuushi leaned down against Gakuto, listening to his breathing turn ragged, burying his face in the scent of Gakuto's hair, enticed by the lithe form of him until he couldn't hold back any longer.   

Then Yuushi pressed into him urgently, with a soft "Uhn" at the first penetration, the little push before the head of his cock slipped inside of him. Fucking on top of a desk was normally not his ideal place for such an activity, but somehow Yuushi was loving it at the moment. Gakuto's body was hot, tight and welcoming, and such a violation of the orderliness and cold perfection of his father's desk.

Yuushi tightened his grip on Gakuto's hips. The total disregard for the sanctity of the study, where he'd been lectured and reprimanded so many times in the past, was what Yuushi found so oddly intoxicating. There was a tickle of fear deep down too, and the danger of being discovered only heightened the feeling that was coursing through him. Yuushi's right hand moved to cup the back of Gakuto's thigh, pushing it up onto the desk and spreading him open even more as he drove into him fiercely.   

" _Yuushi..._ " Gakuto hissed in a rush of breath, head hung, fingers clawing the wood. He liked being handled properly, by someone who knew how to fuck him so well that he could barely speak. When Yuushi was this good, the simplest touch to Gakuto's skin was like fire. It made Gakuto crave him like he was starving, wanting more and more, hanging on each thrust of Yuushi's cock, breathless with pleasure. His arms trembled as he leaned on them.

Yuushi's thighs shoved against him, and Gakuto could feel how strong they were, how Yuushi's body was turning mannish like his own had begun to do. He let himself be dominated by that masculine force. A delicious, willing capitulation to a bestial instinct that existed in them both. Now the sensation made him want to cry out, and his mouth was open in a silent scream, dripping saliva onto the desktop. He heard the hushed gasps of Yuushi's breath in his ear, the lovely, vulgar sound of Yuushi's cock sliding slickly inside of him again and again, skin against skin. So good and so tight, being invaded and filled in such a way. Gakuto reveled in the feeling of being absolutely owned by him.   

Suddenly there was the sound of footsteps in the hall, and Yuushi paused.   

"Locked," Gakuto whispered brokenly. "...Don't stop."   

Yuushi drove home, fucking him long, deep, and hard, leaving marks on Gakuto's hips where his fingers dug in. With every thrust Gakuto panted, breath forced from his lungs, perfectly in tune with him as he was splayed over the desktop. They moved together in an unrelenting rhythm, possessed with the pleasure ruling their bodies. Then Yuushi pulled Gakuto's arms back, rearing him up and holding him there as he pounded into him with short savage thrusts, right where Gakuto's sweetest spot was. He was sure they were being too loud now, but hearing the delicate whimper of Gakuto's voice drove the brute in Yuushi wild. He was in to the hilt as he felt Gakuto begin to shudder, giving him fantastic electric shocks of sensation, making Yuushi lose himself too.     

Yuushi pulled out of him and leaned down, his chest pressing against Gakuto's back as they both caught their breath. He was fond of the scent of sweat on Gakuto's body. Right beneath the wisps of hair on the back of Gakuto's neck he made several love bites in the moist flesh. Gakuto, still shivering and prone over the desk, managed a "Mnn" in what might have been half-hearted protest, but Yuushi couldn't resist a little molestation. His cheek rested on Gakuto's back as his hand wandered down the side of Gakuto's body. He touched ribs and tummy and hipbone, squeezed Gakuto's ass, the muscles of his legs. A creamy trail of Yuushi's come was seeping slowly down the inside of Gakuto's thigh. Yuushi ran a finger along it, as though he wanted to paint Gakuto's body in it. On the desktop was further defilement, the glisten of Gakuto's come.    

Yuushi sighed, satiated like a man who had been dying of thirst. Neither of them heard the knocking at the door.    

The muffled sound of Yuushi's mother's voice reached them. "Yuushi? Are you in there? Why is the door locked?"   

There was a curious amount of shuffling and whispering from within the study, then at last Yuushi stuck his head out. "Oh, it was locked? I didn't realize..."   

"Your father wants you downstairs. Morimoto-sensei and Sachiko-chan are about to leave and he wants you to bid them a proper goodbye."   

Yuushi opened his mouth to respond, but behind him, still at the desk, Gakuto sputtered in laughter. Yuushi gritted his teeth.   

"Ara, Gakuto-kun is in here too?"   

Yuushi's arm opened the door wider, and it felt as though it weighed a thousand kilos. He forced himself to turn and look at the scene of horror, wondering what would come out of his mother's mouth first. But instead he found Gakuto sitting innocently in the chair with a book on the desk.   

"D-domo~!" said Gakuto cheerily, his brilliant smile lighting up the dim room.   

"I hope you're not missing the fun on Yuushi's account, Gakuto-kun."   

"Well..." he responded modestly.   

"We were just... reading..." cut in Yuushi.   

"Oshitari-sensei has some very interesting books... I just couldn't keep my hands off of them," Gakuto said, catching Yuushi's eye.   

Yuushi's mother laughed pleasantly. "Oh, those medical illustrations are too complicated for silly little me! Girls don't have the concentration for that sort of thing. But did you know some of those books are over 100 years old? They've been in the Oshitari family for generations."   

"That is _so_ fascinating," Gakuto responded with vigor, eyes alight.   

Yuushi coughed. "So I'll be downstairs in just a moment."   

"Good," smiled his mother.    

As he was closing the door he saw her eyes catch the fact that his shirt was untucked, the slight frown of curiosity, but she'd forget it once she returned to the party. Yuushi turned back to Gakuto, who propped his naked legs upon the desktop as Yuushi walked over.     

So maybe boy's legs were nice too, even though they were different from girl's legs. Maybe Yuushi liked Gakuto's most of all. There was no pseudo-resistance, no pretense of modesty from Gakuto as Yuushi's hands slid over his calves, up his thighs. Gakuto liked to be touched. Yuushi kneeled beside the chair, reaching over the arm and pulling Gakuto to him. Again he smelled the scent of sex on Gakuto's skin, and it stirred something within him, like an unconscious enticement.   

"That was nice. I needed that," Yuushi murmured, mouth against Gakuto's shoulder.   

"Mm." Gakuto bowed his head. "I thought you might."   

"I love fucking you." Yuushi kissed his ear, the side of his face.   

"I know you do," responded Gakuto, head still bowed, accepting the kisses. "You should go downstairs, though." He stood, putting on his trousers and pulling his belt through the loops.   

Yuushi put a hand on his arm, stopping him. "...What's wrong?"   

There was a pause before the answer. "What, did I say there was anything wrong?" Gakuto glanced at him, then began to tuck in his shirt. "Your father's just gonna be pissed if you don't go down there-"   

Yuushi pulled him into his arms suddenly. Gakuto let out of breath of surprise.   

"What the hell-" he said irately, shoving at him. Yuushi tightened his grip.   

"I love you."   

Gakuto's eyes went wide. It was like Yuushi's words had made the air stand still. His heart began to hammer in his chest and his skin grew hot, the same way it did before a game. He forgot how to breathe for a moment, and then it felt like he couldn't get enough air. Gakuto twisted in Yuushi's arms, trying to squirm away. "Stop fucking around, Yuushi. You can be mushy after everyone goes home."   

"I love you, Gakuto," repeated Yuushi quietly.   

Gakuto stopped fighting him. He felt like saying, _I heard you the first time, stupid._    

"...Do you love me?"   

Gakuto swallowed hard. He wished Yuushi would stop talking. His heartbeat sounded so loud in his chest... surely even Yuushi could hear it now. Surely Yuushi could feel it trying to escape just beneath his hands.   

"Do you?"   

" _...Yes,_ " whispered Gakuto finally, terrified. It came out like a sob, like it was the most painful thing he'd ever had to say, and suddenly he was a mess. Gakuto pulled away from him, ashamed. So stupid, so stupid... Why was he choking up? He leaned on the desk, eyes squeezed shut, not daring to look at Yuushi.    

"Gakuto? Are you-"   

"Just shut up a minute, ok?"   

"Why are you crying?"   

Gakuto scrubbed at his eyes. "I'm not crying, _baka!_ "  But of course now that he'd said that, it was obvious he was. He covered his mouth to keep it from betraying him, shoulders shaking. He could feel Yuushi watching him, and hated him for it.   

"It's like... you're admitting defeat, isn't it."   

"I don't-" Gakuto took a shuddering breath, giving him a suspect glance. "That doesn't make any sense."   

"You might say that we defeated each other."   

"...We defeated each other?"   

"I defeated you... and you defeated me."   

Yuushi reached out to touch his arm, but Gakuto shrugged him off. "I wish you weren't such a shameless liar."   

"Sachiko."   

Gakuto frowned but didn't answer. He watched Yuushi open his mouth to deny it, to argue with him, but then he closed it. Yuushi knew. Gakuto turned away again.   

"You don't have to wonder every time I turn my head," Yuushi said at last.   

"...I wonder every time you take a breath."   

"But you know it doesn't mean anything. There's no need for you to feel je-"   

" _I'm not jealous,_ " Gakuto snapped, eyes flashing at him, desperate. He clenched his hands. "I just..." His voice softened, and then he truly did feel defeated. It was so easy for Yuushi to shred his pride like this, to make him feel all horrible inside. "...It's not fair."   

There was that guilty feeling rearing its ugly head again. It was curiously strong this time, like an ache in his chest. Yuushi realized he'd hurt him, in a way that only he could. He'd forgotten how fragile Gakuto was. Gakuto needed him more than he'd ever be willing to admit, and Yuushi saw how it frightened him. What surprised Yuushi was how the immensity of it frightened himself as well. He'd gone into some foolish rebellion against that link between them, as though he'd had to test himself before surrendering to it.    

"I'm sorry," said Yuushi softly. And then they were conquered, the both of them.   

Gakuto grabbed his sleeve, looking at him firmly. "Don't do it."   

Gakuto used sparse words when talking of important things. His pride seemed to require him to pretend they were unworthy of his notice, but Yuushi understood him. He was gifted with the ability to decode him. "I won't," Yuushi promised gently. _I won't do that to you again._    

"...If you're lying I won't forgive you," insisted Gakuto, giving Yuushi's sleeve a tug.    

Yuushi kissed him. "Mm."   

Unexpectedly, Gakuto's cheeks flushed. He released the sleeve. "Now go downstairs," he ordered, dismissing him.  

"Come with me."   

"No."   

"Why?"   

"You know your dad hates my guts."   

"But I want you to."   

"...I don't feel like it."   

"Do it for me, not for him."   

"Hn. I'm not doing it for anybody."   

" _Gakuto._ "   

"No."   

"You can impress him with your good behavior."   

" _Alright._ " Annoyance, tempered with what was perhaps reluctant interest. "Let's just fucking _go._ "   

"Put your jacket on... Now you look like a gentleman."   

"Shut up." Increased irritation, tempered with... love.   

The party didn't quite stop when Gakuto descended the stairs with Yuushi, but he could tell most of the remaining guests were watching them discreetly. Two upset- looking girls ran up to him.   

"Bunta-kun! Bunta-kun! Are you ok~?"   

Then he felt Yuushi's eyes on him, wondering if he'd behave himself, worrying that he wouldn't. Gakuto gave him a resentful glance before turning to the girls.   

"I'm fine, thank you so much for your concern. I hope I didn't cause you any worry..." Gakuto smiled pleasantly at the girls, the way he imagined a kind golden-hearted senpai would.    

Overcome with blushing, one of the girls burst out with, "I'll be rooting for you at the next match, Bunta-kun!!" before they both ran away.   

"It's the hair," grinned Yuushi.   

"You thought I was going to be mean, didn't you," accused Gakuto, although the congenial smile remained on his face. "I can be nice when I want to be."   

"I like it when you're nice."   

"And I like it when you're sucking my-"   

"So my son has finally decided to show his face," said Yuushi's father, standing with Morimoto-sensei and Sachiko by the doors to the genkan. He gave his son a stern look as Yuushi walked up with Gakuto. "Apologize to Morimoto-sensei and Sachiko-chan for keeping them so long."   

"Please allow me to apologize to Morimoto-sensei and Sachiko-san, Oshitari-sensei. I was the one keeping Yuushi," said Gakuto, bowing. He turned to Sachiko and her father, and made a deeper bow. "Please forgive me for delaying your departure. I was feeling a bit sick and Yuushi was making sure I was alright. He always knows just what to do," Gakuto said with a straight face. "I am in his debt, and yours."   

"What a polite young man! Very gentlemanly." remarked Morimoto-sensei, nodding approvingly as he looked Gakuto over, glancing at Sachiko. Yuushi hid his smirk behind a cough. "Think nothing of it, you two." He elbowed Yuushi's father. "And it looks like that Yuushi of yours will be a doctor yet!"   

Yuushi bowed. "That's very kind of you to say, Morimoto-sensei."   

Yuushi's father looked serious, but it was obvious he was pleased. "Hmm, we'll see."   

The two guests were sent off with goodbyes and more bowing (with Sachiko eyeing Yuushi like a love-struck kitten,) and soon afterwards the remaining party guests were as well. Throughout it all Gakuto behaved the best perhaps that Yuushi had ever seen him. He liked bratty old Gakuto better than polished refined Gakuto, but Yuushi thought it might be best to keep that to himself.    

At the moment Gakuto was upstairs changing for bed, and the maids and caterers were clearing things away under the direction of his mother. Yuushi looked out the front windows, occasionally watching the activity behind him in the window glass. He wondered if Gakuto had changed into one of his shirts, the way he liked to do sometimes. They were too big for Gakuto's smaller frame, but Yuushi suspected that Gakuto liked the way they tended to slip down and bare much of his neck, tempting Yuushi to bite him. And Yuushi did like to bite him. 

Instead of a shirt Gakuto might be wrapped up in one of Yuushi's towels, fresh from the shower. His hair would be dark wet red, and he'd smell like Shiseido from head to toe. Yuushi smiled to himself. There was something about the newness of fresh, still-damp skin that made Yuushi want to snatch him out of that towel and get him dirty again... Or maybe Gakuto had removed the obstacle of clothing altogether, tucking himself naked into the sheets, waiting to pull Yuushi in with him. Maybe they'd simply fall asleep, limbs tangled together, content.   

"Your face is flushed," said his father, from behind him. "You drank too much, didn't you."   

Yuushi turned. "No, I was just thinking... of something."   

"Daydreaming, eh?" Yuushi waited for his father to scold him for his idleness, but instead Oshitari-sensei sighed wistfully. "Your mother was like that too, when we were young. I used to tell her I was her anchor to Earth so that she didn't float away into the clouds."   

Yuushi wondered if his father had over-indulged in alcohol himself, tonight. It was unusual for him to speak so candidly. Some moments of awkward silence passed before Yuushi's father could say what he wanted to say.   

"You take after me but you see the world through her eyes," he said finally.   

"Hmm," was the response. A tentative agreement between father and son.   

"Is that Mukahi boy staying here again tonight?"   

"Yes, unless that's not alright with you."   

"He's a Hyoutei boy. I didn't see it in him at first, but I see it now. Definitely a Hyoutei boy."   

"Thanks, Otousan," Yuushi allowed himself a tiny smile. "Happy anniversary."

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> -"Omattousan"... "Sorry to keep you waiting" (standard Japanese: Omatase) 
> 
> -"Gakuto was glad he'd decided to wear an actual suit rather than his school uniform."... In Japan it's acceptable to wear your school uniform to formal occasions such as this one. 
> 
> -"Nanya..."... "What's this..." (standard Japanese: Nanda) 
> 
> -"they say words are poison darts of pleasure"... from the Franz Ferdinand song, "Darts of Pleasure." The lyrics are: I know that you will surrender/ And I want this fantastic passion/ We’ll have fantastic passion/ You can feel my lips undress your eyes/ Undress your eyes Undress your eyes/ Words of love and words so leisured/ Words are poisoned darts of pleasure/ Die, and so you die. I thought the scandalousness would appeal to Yuushi. Incidentally, I realized afterwards that lyrics also play into the whole "surrender" theme as well. ^^ 
> 
> -omiai... traditional Japanese matchmaking 
> 
> -"Natsukashii ne..."... "How nostalgic..." 
> 
> -fusuma... Japanese sliding doors 
> 
> -sagoshi kizushi... baby Spanish Mackerel sashimi. One of Yuushi's favorite foods, according to the second fanbook.
> 
> -"I almost had an affair with this one oyaji."... see werefox's fic, "Elementary Maneuvers" ^_~ 
> 
> -"Mi~chatta."... cutesy version of "I've found you" 
> 
> -"Karada de oshiero."... "Show me with your body." 
> 
> -genkan... entryway where you take off your shoes before entering the main house 
> 
> And yes, I named her Sachiko because I wanted something that sounded like "Mebachiko." heh.


End file.
